ARP Celebrates 25 Years
Guttering specialist Aluminium Roofline Products Ltd (ARP Ltd) started out as a small family-run firm back in 1985 when David Muddimer, then a butcher by trade, set up a guttering refurbishment and installation business with his son Ian, an apprentice printer.
To get their business off the ground, they placed a small advertisement in the Leicester Mercury which posed the simple question “Leaking Gutters?”
To their surprise and delight, David and Ian received a flood of inquiries which meant their business had swiftly transformed into a full-time venture for both of them and Seamless Gutters of Leicester was born.
To expand the business into supplying a growing number of installers with top quality polyurethane coated aluminium coil and components ,David and Ian acquired the business backing of David’s brother Bob Muddimer, an industrialist director of BTR.
He raised £160,000 via four Business start-up and Business expansion schemes and this helped transform the business into ARP Ltd as we know it today.
As a result of a simple classified advert, the Leicester Mercury kick-started a hugely successful company which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary and continues to grow and expand.
Experts in their field, the staff at ARP are specialist manufacturers of sectional roofline products using extruded, pressed or cast aluminium. They have gone on to secure exclusive supplies of top quality coated aluminium coil from Norske Hydro in Norway and Ironman gutter forming machines from the USA and are also proud owners of the unique Mustang Seamless Gutter System.
Now employing 33 people with annual sales of around £5m, the company has plans to expand sales by 50 per cent within the next two years. It seems ARP is living proof that a simple classified advert can be the first step on the ladder to commercial success. The company has also continued to invest, acquiring an Automated Turret Punch Machine and recently a state of the art Norsden Powder Coating System. It now boasts a wide product range including sectional aluminium gutters and downpipes, aluminium fascia and soffit systems and roof and floor outlets.
Bob, who is now Deputy Chairman, is thrilled at how far ARP has come since its humble beginnings back in 1985.
“I think to develop a business over 25 years gives us a great sense of satisfaction while providing employment for 33 highly motivated and loyal staff,” he says. “ARP went from an installation business to a supply business so we now supply a wide range of products to builders merchants, roofline contractors, seamless installers and the self-build market across the UK.”
Bob believes the company is reaping the benefits of having acquired the Mustang System.
“Mustang is an advanced design which allows gutters to be installed seamlessly and more efficiently. We invested many thousands of pounds in buying the moulds which produce the Mustang System so that the life of our products is three times that of the plastic alternative. As a result we have an 80 per cent share of the seamless aluminium gutter business nationally. Our competition is plastic guttering which creaks, cracks, fades and leaks and the UK consumer is becoming more aware of the superior aluminium product.”
Bob has high hopes for the future of ARP: “We expect to grow the business by 50% in the next two years by putting new products into new markets. My son Richard is Chairman of ARP and also runs other successful businesses. With his financial experience and the expertise of our product professionals, we will continue to offer the best of both worlds to our customers who install our guttering products across the UK.”
